rules of engagement

It's now June, which means we're only a couple of weeks away from the formal engagement party. I say "formal" because we'll be having two separate parties. The one scheduled for June 20th is at an Italian restaurant on Staten Island and is for the bridal party and immediate family. MZ plans on having ANOTHER party in the backyard sometime this summer for the rest of our friends and family. Even though one is more formal than the other, I'm looking forward to both equally.

Despite the number of engaged friends I have, I've only gone to a couple of engagement parties thus far. I've come to realize that not all brides plan on having a party to announce their upcoming nuptials. I, on the other hand, am rather excited to share the big news with my family and friends.

The formal engagement party, for me, is a way of seeing what our future will look like. I love the thought of bringing together his family with my family to make OUR family. And while our parents have already gotten to know each other quite well, our friends and bridal party haven't really had the chance to mix just yet.

MZ and I have actually created some DIY projects for the party. Since our January wedding will have a wintry feel to it, we thought it would be fun to add some summer time to our June engagement party. We've made the place cards, table numbers, centerpieces and napkin rings and we did a really great job, if I must say so myself. I plan on taking lots of pictures to show off my work and I'll be sure to post them on the blog with how-to instructions as well.

I found really adorable and affordable invitations at Tickled Pink Design and Meg and I wrote the saying for the card. If you can't see the text in the picture below, it says: "Nicole didn't know when it was coming/Gianfranco wanted her to guess/But when the "pieces" came together/All she could do was say, "Yes!" I would HIGHLY recommend this company for any engagement or shower invitations since they look great and professional and they were about half the cost of the other invitation companies I researched.

And since the engagement party is all about bringing the two families together, I'd love to find some time in the next week or two to create a family tree and display it for everyone to see. I'd like to make it similar to the one from Melangerie:

I doubt mine will look half as nice as this one but I'll try! Ideally, I'd like to design something using starfish or sea shells to correspond with the beach theme so if anyone has any cute ideas, pass them on!

Originally I had wanted activities and icebreakers for the party but I couldn't find anything that wasn't cheesy or lame so we're just going to have the usual toasts instead. Dad will toast to me and the fiance, the fiance will toast to our families, and I'll thank everyone for coming. My father has a way with words so I'm not worried about him but Gianfranco is not one to speak in front of crowds so he may need a little wine to loosen up!

I'll keep everyone posted on the plans but in the meantime, does anyone have any cute ideas for the engagement party? Whether it's beach-related or activity-related or if it's just advice on how to enjoy the evening, leave me a comment! I'm really interested to add something different and unique to the party...let me know!